Veteran broadcaster and prolific SABC news anchor Hlayiseka Mabunda says he was unfairly dismissed from the public broadcaster after serving with dedication for 18 years. Mabunda alleges that his dismissal was the result of a personal vendetta orchestrated by the SABC News regional editor in Polokwane, whom he accuses of using petty disciplinary tactics to push him out.
According to Mabunda, the disciplinary case against him was based on selective enforcement of rules around lateness, despite other employees arriving at similar times. "Even if others came in after me, it didn’t matter. The target was me," he says.
He claims the disciplinary case was pushed by someone from SABC’s head office in Auckland Park, with the hearing chaired by a programmes manager from Phalaphala FM. The virtual hearing, held on 16 and 17 October 2024, allegedly denied Mabunda the chance to testify, and he was formally dismissed on 18 October.
Mabunda believes the case was never about misconduct, but about silencing a journalist who made life uncomfortable for certain managers. “They said I was making the lives of managers difficult. That’s why they wanted me gone,” he said.
He also raised concerns about a lack of journalistic independence in SABC management, pointing to confusion between government and political events. “A Cosatu rally is not a state event. That’s basic knowledge,” he noted.
His parting words reflect deep disappointment: “I was kicked out by someone who has no idea what he is doing at SABC News. It’s a very sad day for public service broadcasting.”
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